


One More Tomorrow by babs

by babs



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Angst, Episode Tag, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Team
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-04-17
Updated: 2011-04-17
Packaged: 2017-10-18 06:29:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/185994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/babs/pseuds/babs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What happened after they found Daniel in the cave at the end of The First Ones.</p>
            </blockquote>





	One More Tomorrow by babs

_"Death's but one more tomorrow."  
\--Silas Weir Mitchell_

"Daniel?" Jack called when Daniel failed to turn to face his teammates after the Unas disappeared back into the recesses of the cave.

"Yeah?" Daniel shuddered as he looked at SG1.

Jack kept his hands on his P90. Better safe than sorry. He didn't know if Daniel had been compromised by the Goa'uld in the lake, or what he'd gone through at the hands of the Unas. He nodded to Teal'c at Daniel's six and for Carter to take point. He positioned himself beside Daniel as they walked back through the cave--back to sunlight and away from the shadows.

They didn't speak as they walked and Jack gave a grim smile as they passed Daniel's little directional sign telling them, "That Way."

The sun was far brighter than Jack remembered when they emerged, and in the bright light Daniel looked far worse for wear than Jack's original assessment in the cave.

Carter guided them a short distance away and stopped.

"Are you hurt, Daniel?" she asked in a low voice.

Daniel shook his head and Jack put out a steadying hand when it seemed the movement might make Daniel topple over.

"No. Chaka didn't...I'm fine." Daniel swallowed and looked at all of them as if seeing them for the first time.

There was a cut on his face that Jack was relieved to see had sealed, although it still looked as though it might start bleeding again with any exertion.

Carter already had her first aid kit out and was putting on a pair of gloves. Daniel started blinking hard even before she put the antibiotic cream on, his eyes watering.

Jack took his sunglasses, handing them to Daniel. "Put these on," he ordered.

Daniel nodded and smiled as he accepted the glasses.

Crap. Jack noticed the filthy rope still tied around Daniel's wrists.

"How about we get this off?" Jack asked. He made to undo the knot, tight and damp under his fingers.

"Ssssss." Daniel's breath came out in a low hiss as Carter put on the cream and then a bandage.

"Sorry. I'm sorry," Carter said. Jack looked up from his crouched position in front of Daniel to see her jaw tighten. Her hands shook as she returned the cream to the first aid kit.

The knot was stubborn and Jack pulled out his knife. Daniel flinched back--not a surprising reaction considering what he'd been through, but one that went to Jack's heart nonetheless.

Teal'c moved to Daniel's side and placed a hand on his shoulder. The rope gave way under Jack's knife and Daniel pulled his wrists apart slightly, enough movement for the rope to fall to the ground.

"Thank you," Daniel replied, solemn and quiet. He jerked his wrist out from under Carter's touch and then gave her an apologetic grin.

"Sorry," he whispered and then cleared his throat.

Carter made a tsking noise as she inspected Daniel's wrists. Jack opened the first aid kit once again and handed her the antibiotic cream. Daniel's wrists had rubbed raw from the rough rope, and Jack winced as he looked at some of the fibers still stuck to his friend's skin. Carter worked silently and then reached for the gauze, wrapping Daniel's wrists loosely with it, more, Jack suspected, for protection than anything else.

"It wasn't too bad until I got the rope wet," Daniel said as Carter finished.

"Got it wet?" Jack asked, flicking his gaze from Daniel up to Teal'c whose mouth tightened in a grim line.

Daniel nodded. "Yeah. At the lake. I, uh, made an escape attempt. Um, I wasn't successful."

No one replied to Daniel's words. Jack could see the thoughts going through Carter's and Teal'c's minds reflected on their faces. He was sure they were the same as his own. The thought that they'd found Daniel only to have him suffering a worse fate than being held captive by an Unas--to have him infested with a little snakehead-the idea filled Jack with dread. The vision of Rothman lying dead, unseeing eyes turned to the alien sky, was superimposed with one of Daniel. Jack turned away before anyone could see his expression.

"There were young Goa'uld in the lake, DanielJackson," Teal'c said before Jack found his voice again.

"Chaka saved me from one," Daniel replied."I didn't know they were there, but he caught one as it tried to..." he gestured towards the back of his neck, "you know. He roasted it for supper."

"For supper?" Carter spoke then, revulsion in her voice.

"Please tell me snakeheads do not taste like chicken," Jack said, trying to bring just a touch of levity to a situation that was seeming to become increasingly dire by the moment.

Daniel grinned, looking so like himself that Jack wanted to believe that no harm could have possibly come to his friend. He shrugged. "I don't know. We settled for a power bar instead." He got to his feet. "Can we go home now?" Daniel paused and even though his eyes were hidden by the sunglasses, Jack could tell the moment the import of the Goa'uld in the lake registered with him.

"Oh." Daniel held out his wrists towards Jack, crossing them over one another in the way they'd been when they found him.

Sometimes Jack hated being the commander of SG1. Like now. Like right this moment when he had to put zip ties around Daniel's already abraded wrists. Like the next few moments when they were going to force an already exhausted Daniel on a journey back to the Stargate still as a prisoner, still not through with the nightmare of this world.

"It's okay," Daniel said softly as if Jack was the one in need of comfort.

It wasn't. It so wasn't okay. It was a damn mess and the only time Jack was going to allow himself to relax was when Daniel came out of the MRI and Fraiser pronounced him free of any mini-Goa'ulds, but Jack gave a reassuring smile to Daniel anyway. It looked like Daniel, but Rothman had looked like Rothman too, before Jack had blasted some holes in his chest.

"Let's move out," Jack said, turning away before Daniel could see any of his doubts. He thought he might want to get home just as much as Daniel, maybe even more.

* * * *

Sweat dried on the back of Jack's neck, causing an itch, a small irritant in the larger scheme of things, like the fact that his best friend might be carrying a Goa'uld inside him.

Teal'c was on point now, with Carter watching their sixes. They'd switched positions about an hour ago. Jack didn't tell the others it was his own need to be close to Daniel--his belief that somehow if he stayed close, nothing more would happen.

"Are the others dead?" Daniel asked as they followed Teal'c. "I wasn't sure if Chaka or some others got them in camp."

  
"Hawkins is dead," Jack said. There was no way he could lie to Daniel. Had been there, done that, and got the hair-shirt for his stupidity. "Take ten," he called to Teal'c and then put a hand on Daniel's shoulder and guided him towards a fallen log. He waited until Daniel was sitting before he broke the other news. "Rothman's dead too."

"Robert?" Daniel asked. "Did the Unas...I didn't think Chaka killed anyone before he got me but I was knocked out for a bit so I don't know if..."

"He was taken by a Goa'uld," Jack replied. "I shot him."

"He didn't...oh God...Robert was always..." Daniel stopped and pulled his hands towards his face. Carter and Teal'c stepped closer but they remained silent while Daniel sat with a bowed head and hands folded as if in prayer. "He was terrified a Goa'uld would infest him. I told him he didn't have anything to worry about--he spent most of his time in the lab. I guess I was wrong."

"It's not your fault, Daniel," Carter said. Trust her to cut right to Daniel's misplaced guilt. Jack looked up at her and gave a small nod.

"I know." Daniel turned to Jack. "It's not yours either."

Command decision, Jack knew, but one he'd hated making the minute Rothman dropped to the ground. Meanwhile, he had a very alive Daniel to get home--and get him home he would.

Daniel gave a sigh and made to get up but Teal'c kept him in place with a light touch.

"O'Neill said we should take ten. It has only been three."

"Listen to the Jaffa," Jack said. He put one foot on the log and glanced at Daniel whose hands were shaking as they rested on his lap.

He motioned to Carter who pressed a finger against Daniel's neck, taking his pulse. And then it dawned on Jack.

"Daniel? When's the last time you ate?"

"Ate?"

Okay if Daniel had to repeat the word ate, it probably meant his blood sugar was plummeting to an all-time low. Jack took off his pack and pulled out a MRE.

Carter was just as quick, pulling out a chocolate bar from her vest and undoing the wrapper before giving it to Daniel.

Jack opened his mouth to give a warning, but Daniel downed the bar in three big bites. And then promptly threw it up again. Carter made sympathetic sounds and patted Daniel on the back while Teal'c held a canteen to his mouth with instructions to sip and then spit.

"Take it easy," Jack warned and Daniel nodded with his head hung down.

"I kinda figured that out," Daniel said with just a touch of self-deprecation.

The MRE was hot in Jack's hands and he held it out before Daniel while Carter handed Daniel a spoon. "No hurry," he offered. Daniel nodded again and took a bit of stew on the spoon while Jack looked the other way to afford him what dignity he could.

This time the food stayed down. Daniel licked the spoon, which to Jack said more than the shaking hands, and handed it back to Sam. "I'm ready."

Jack nodded and put a hand under one elbow when it appeared the forced rest had tightened Daniel's muscles.

"It's okay, Jack," Daniel said as he stood. "I'm fine." He reached up and pulled off Jack's sunglasses and held them out. "Take them. My eyes are adjusted."

Jack took them, looking into Daniel's eyes and prayed to God there would be no golden flash.

"Let's get moving, campers," he said then, relieved just a bit by the small quirk of a smile it brought to Daniel's face.

* * * *

"Three klicks," Jack mentioned to Daniel as they continued the trek homeward several hours later.

"Huh?" Daniel glanced over at him, his face red with exertion. He appeared to be shivering. It wasn't hot, but it was warm enough that Daniel shouldn't be suffering from the cold.

"That's all we have left. Three klicks to the Gate," Jack explained. He called ahead for Teal'c to stop. It might be only three klicks, but he didn't like the way Daniel was looking right now. At the very least, they needed to get more liquids into him before he became dehydrated.

Carter handed Daniel her canteen without hesitation, her gaze flicking to Jack. She pressed her fingers against Daniel's neck when he finished drinking, the canteen dangling from his fingers.

Jack didn't like the frown that crossed her face. She pulled a disposable thermometer out of the small first aid kit in her vest pocket.

"Open up," she requested softly. Daniel obliged and Carter put the tab in his mouth. She stepped back, letting Teal'c take her place by Daniel's side.

Jack jerked his head to the side and they walked a short distance away, close enough to be there in case they were needed, far enough that Daniel wouldn't hear their whispered conversation.

"How's he doing?" Jack asked, although he thought he knew the answer already which was-- not so good.

"I think he's got an infection, sir. Whether it's from his wrists or the cut on his face or exposure to the water, I'm not sure. His pulse is higher than it should be for our pace. I should have given him some Tylenol earlier. I'm sorry."

Jack nodded. Daniel might not have gone through the same type of training that they had as soldiers, but when it came to hiking or running their way through any scrapes they found themselves on off-world, Daniel could keep up with the best of them--his endurance strong. "You think he can make it?"

Carter chewed on her lower lip a moment before responding. "It's Daniel, sir. I *know* he can make it."

"I want to get him the hell home, Carter, but I don't want to risk his life doing it."

"How long until we get to the Stargate, sir?"

"At our current pace, assuming Daniel can continue to maintain it, about another two hours."

"I think Daniel wants to get home as much as we want him to be there," Carter pointed out.

"Why don't you check his temp? Let me know if it's too high for him to continue walking. I know he wants to get home under his own steam, but we need to put him on a stretcher I will."

Carter nodded and they both returned to Daniel and Teal'c. Daniel gave them a ghost of a smile and handed Carter's now-empty canteen to Jack.

"One hundred three," Carter announced as she read the thermometer. She pulled two Tylenol from the kit and handed them to Daniel. He took them with no comment, using the water from Teal'c's canteen to wash it down.

High, but probably not very accurate considering the exertion they were putting forth. "How you feelin'?" Jack asked Daniel. He held up an index finger. "And tell the truth. I need to know."

Daniel glanced at the ground. "Cold. Little nauseous, but I've been sicker and managed to get to the Gate."

Jack followed the unconscious movement of Daniel's hand to his right abdomen. Okay, Jack so didn't want to relive that nightmare of a journey to the Gate with a horde of Jaffa on their tails.

"I want to get...home," Daniel continued, looking up.

It was the way Daniel's voice slightly broke on the word home that clinched the decision.

"Soon," Jack promised, placing his hand on Daniel's shoulder. He shifted it then to rest it on Daniel's forehead, ignoring the slight huff from Daniel. The skin was warm under his fingers. "We should be home soon." He adjusted his ball cap and nodded for Teal'c to take point again. Until Daniel was tucked up snug as a bug in a rug in the infirmary, Jack wasn't going to leave his side, and maybe not even then.

* * * *

Jack didn't know if it was the thought of getting home or quite what, but Daniel seemed to walk the remaining distance to the Gate with more energy than previously. By the time the Gate came into view, Jack had learned all of Daniel's theories about the Unas, the brief vocabulary Daniel had managed to pick up, and a recipe for pork fried rice. Jack wasn't exactly sure why Daniel threw *that* into the mix, but he suspected that his friend was no longer firing on all cylinders--that the only reason Daniel kept talking was so that he didn't fall flat on his face or let himself think of everything that had happened. Jack wished he could have the luxury of the same escape. But there would be a debriefing as soon as they saw Daniel to the infirmary and then a report to write. Daniel was alive, he reminded himself, and there was no indication whatsoever that he had been infested with one of the Goa'uld from the lake. Daniel was not Robert Rothman, Jack reminded himself.

Beside him, Daniel's stride became longer, and he picked up the pace. Jack was sure if it had been humanly possible at that point, he would have broken into a jog.

"Easy," Jack ordered, placing a hand out to slow Daniel slightly. "We'll get there soon enough."

Daniel glanced at him and then fixed his attention back on the Gate. "Yeah," he said, his voice hoarse from talking.

Coburn greeted them with a cool nod.

"Any action?" Jack asked as Carter dialed home.

"No sir," Coburn reported. "We saw some movement earlier over along the tree line." He glanced at Griff who ducked his head. "It was this planet's version of a deer."

Jack was sure there was an interesting story behind that comment, but right now he had a listing archaeologist to get into Fraiser's willing clutches.

The Gate gave its familiar whoosh and settled into a puddle of blue.

"C'mon," he said, guiding Daniel towards the wormhole. "Let's go home."  
He thought there might have been a glimmer of tears in Daniel's eyes but it could have just been the light.

* * * *

Jack wasn't surprised that Daniel managed to keep on his feet as they came through the wormhole and onto the ramp in the SGC. Daniel's ability to get himself out of the most complex situations never failed to astonish Jack. He doubted any of the other members of SG1 would have survived in quite as good a shape. Well, maybe Teal'c, Jack thought, giving a glance to the Jaffa who had one hand wrapped around Daniel's bicep. Of course, Teal'c probably would have found a way to kill the Unas and not learned anything about the apparent society the Unas had. Nope, this had definitely been Daniel's forte.

"Welcome home, SG1, Doctor Jackson," Hammond said, his tone kind with a glance at Jack that meant, 'I want details ASAP.'

"Thank you, sir," Daniel replied, his teeth just barely chattering.

Stepping a little closer, Jack thought of putting a hand on Daniel's forehead just to check how high the fever was but refrained. Daniel had made it through hell with his dignity intact. Jack wasn't going to spoil the mood.

"Robert's dead, sir," Daniel told Hammond as Jack and Teal'c began to steer him in the direction of the door and the infirmary. "And...and...someone else, Jack?"

"Hawkins," Jack said. Okay the confusion wasn't good, but waiting for a medical team would be longer than getting Daniel to the infirmary under his own power. "Hawkins is dead too."

Hammond nodded, the understanding of one soldier to another as he looked pointedly at the zip ties around Daniel's wrists and back to Jack again. "Get Doctor Jackson to the infirmary. We'll debrief in thirty."

"C'mon, Daniel," Jack urged gently as Daniel looked around when they stepped into the hall. He needed to know Daniel was free and clear of any Goa'uld.

SG1 stepped into the elevator. The smell of sweat and exhaustion filled the cabin. Daniel looked at all of them and smiled. "Home," he said as he leaned back against the wall.

Jack put a hand on Daniel's shoulder as the elevator began to move. "Almost there, buddy," he agreed.

Daniel let out a sigh as his knees buckled. Teal'c was slightly quicker than Jack and caught the unconscious man before his head made contact with the floor.

"Crap," Jack said, relieved when the elevator doors opened seconds later. Teal'c hefted Daniel over his shoulder in a fireman's carry and they all made double time to the infirmary, finding Fraiser and her staff waiting for them.

"He passed out in the elevator, Doc," Jack explained as Teal'c placed Daniel on a gurney. "He made it back to the Gate under his own power."

Fraiser nodded and then pointed to the zip ties.

"He...he may have been infested with an immature Goa'uld." Jack still choked on the words when he had to say them aloud.

"Understood, sir," Fraiser acknowledged, moving off with the gurney and giving rapid fire orders that Jack didn't understand. He stood watching a moment longer, his ball cap gripped tightly between his hands.

"Sir," Carter whispered.

"Yeah, I know," he replied. "We'd better go let Hammond know what's happening."

* * * *

"Teal'c realized the..." Jack stopped his narrative when Hammond's aide answered the ringing phone in the briefing room.

The young man, Jack couldn't remember ever being that young, handed the phone to the general.

"Yes, Doctor Fraiser," Hammond said and Jack felt his mouth go dry. He looked at Carter who was holding her coffee mug so tightly Jack thought she would break it from the pressure while Teal'c sat impassive, his eyes fixed on Hammond.

General Hammond hung up the phone and smiled at them and Jack thought his heart might soon resume a normal rhythm. "Doctor Fraiser reports that Doctor Jackson has not, nor shows any signs of having been infested with a Goa'uld."

There was a soft noise from Carter and Jack pushed the tissue box across the table to her without even looking. He didn't know whether he felt like laughing or crying himself.

He finished his report to Hammond ten minutes later, and even the elation at Daniel's rescue and the knowledge he wasn't Goa'ulded still didn't overcome the memory of Robert Rothman lying dead on an alien world. Rothman was a scientist, damn it. Not the best person at people skills, but still a man who was well-respected in his department, intelligent, and most important, one of Daniel's friends.

"SG-1, dismissed," Hammond said and Jack left the briefing room, only vaguely aware of Teal'c and Carter behind him. He didn't care what information Fraiser's brief phone call had imparted, he wanted to know more. Wanted to hear the doc tell him in person that Daniel was going to be okay with a little bit of rest.

* * * *

"Yes, Colonel, he really will be fine," Fraiser whispered as they stood beside a sleeping Daniel's bed.

Jack spared a glance down at her. She looked back up, sincerity radiating from her. That was one thing he had to give the doc, she didn't pull any punches. He could trust her absolutely to tell him the truth, even if the truth was something he didn't want to hear.

"Do you mind if I stay here a bit?" Jack asked, more out of formality. They both knew nothing would keep him away from Daniel's bedside for long unless she ordered him out of the infirmary, and maybe not even then. Carter and Teal'c had already left for the showers and Jack was aware of his own desperate need for a good scrub and clean clothes, but he needed even more to remind himself the mission hadn't been a failure.

Fraiser looked at him and then gave a small nod. "Five minutes, sir. You can come back after you've..." she couldn't keep herself from wrinkling up her nose.

He smiled at her. "Thanks, Doc."

Daniel slept on, oblivious. And it was sleep that Fraiser had reassured all of them that he needed. Exhaustion, a slight fever from a low-grade infection that was already being treated with antibiotics, and abraded wrists. Jack looked down at Daniel's bandaged feet. He and Daniel were going to have a long talk when Daniel finally woke up about the importance of letting your CO know that you had blisters when you were on a march.

"Hey, Daniel," Jack whispered. "I'll be back soon. So will Carter and Teal'c. You'll forgive us if we don't want you out of sight for a bit." The words came easier when Daniel was asleep than awake. He doubted an awake Daniel would want to hear the sentiment expressed aloud. Jack stood there for a few more moments just watching Daniel breathe and then when he'd stored up the good memory, he left to wash away the bad ones.

* * * *

"I do not believe hot dogs should be that color, O'Neill," Teal'c remarked as he stood by Jack's shoulder.

"What color? They're well done," Jack said as he poked one of the dogs with tongs.

"Well done?" Daniel asked from his position at the picnic table. "I thought steaks were well done, hot dogs just get cooked like...well...like hot dogs."

"Everyone's a critic," Jack complained. He accepted the plate Carter handed him and began putting the burnt hot dogs on it. "You're gonna eat them aren't you, Carter?"

She looked at him, and then just as quickly glanced away. "Uh, I thought I'd just eat salad."

"Salad sounds good, Sam," Daniel chimed in.

"Et tu, Brute?" Jack asked, wielding a hot dog on a fork and waving it in front of Daniel's nose. "Just for that, no dessert."

"I'm in my thirties, Jack. I'm perfectly capable of getting my own dessert."

Jack just grinned and sat down at the table, grabbing one of the hot dogs and putting it in a bun. After a few bites, he had to admit that burnt hot dogs just weren't that good. He sighed and picked up the phone he'd brought out to the deck.

"Chinese? Pizza? Ribs?"

Carter and Teal'c looked at Daniel, obviously waiting for his decision.

"Chinese," Daniel said quietly and then excused himself from the table. He made his slow limping progress into the house, his feet still healing from the blisters he'd managed to accumulate on his little jaunt with the Unas and Jack motioned for Teal'c and Carter to stay put as he finished up the phone order.

He went into the kitchen to find Daniel standing by the sink, staring down into the stainless steel as if it held the answers to everything.

"Hey," Jack said.

Daniel looked up, his eyes wide behind his glasses. For just a moment Jack saw the raw emotion there but then just as quickly it was hidden as if Daniel couldn't risk letting anyone see.

"Hey."

"I put in an order to Wang's. Delivery in..."

"Twenty, thirty minutes tops," Daniel chimed in unison with Jack.

"Ya know, I bet they would say that even if I ordered one of everything on the menu," Jack pointed out, moving to the refrigerator and grabbing a couple of bottles of water in deference to the antibiotics Daniel was still taking.

"Yeah," Daniel said, still not moving. He looked up when Jack nudged the bottle of water into his hand.

"Drink up," Jack said. "You've still got that infection."

Daniel nodded and twisted off the cap. He tossed it in the sink and took a swig from the bottle before he turned to face Jack.

"It was a nice service," he said, his voice so low Jack could barely hear it.

Jack thought back to the memorial service for Rothman earlier in the day. Of Daniel standing to the side of the Gate and telling them about Robert Rothman, the man and not the scientist, about how he was a good and loyal friend and a man of a kind heart. Jack knew Daniel had only touched the surface.

"You said once he was a decathlon champion?" Jack asked, hoping to draw Daniel out a bit.

Daniel nodded and then set the water bottle on the counter. "Yeah, two years in a row. Sophomore and junior years. Before his lungs..."

Jack had wondered at that. He remembered Rothman using his inhaler more than once, including in his lab at the SGC. "What happened?"

"He was in a car accident with some friends. The car caught on fire and Robert pulled two of the others to safety, but he inhaled a lot of smoke. He was the only one who survived the accident. The other two people died despite his efforts to save them."

Jack rolled his water bottle between his palms. Rothman didn't have people skills--something the man freely admitted, but knowing what he'd gone through made Jack wonder if maybe at one time Rothman had been a little bit different. Not that it mattered really--the SGC had lost a good man in Robert Rothman and Jack regretted the loss as well as that of Hawkins.

"He really threw himself into research after that. I was lucky enough to get him as my research assistant. I think there were at least five others going after him," Daniel continued. "He loved his career and was a natural at it. He told me on the planet that the SGC was the best thing that ever happened to him." Daniel looked at Jack and gave a sad smile. "Did he know?"

"That he'd been snaked?" Jack asked, guessing the track Daniel's mind had taken. "I don't know."

"I hope not," Daniel said. He picked up his water bottle and leaned back against the counter. "I don't know how I... his mom..." He ducked his head and Jack moved a step closer to place a hand on Daniel's shoulder. He could feel the slight shudder that went through his friend.

"His dad is dead, but his mom is in a nursing home. She's got advanced Alzheimer's. I don't know what...how do we...?"

"We can let the nursing home know. They'll be able to tell us how to handle it." Jack squeezed Daniel's shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"I know," Daniel replied. He bowed his head again, looking exhausted and sick. Jack pulled him into a rough hug.

"We're gonna get through this," Jack whispered and he wasn't sure if he was reminding Daniel of it or himself.

"Yeah we will," Daniel said as he pulled away. "I know we will. It's what we do."

"Damn straight," Jack answered and was relieved to see Daniel smile. He hoped that one day he wouldn't be saying the same words because of the loss of a member of his own team. Jack cleared his throat before he let himself wander down that oh-so-slippery slope. He looked at his watch.

"You want to do the countdown or should I?" he asked.

Daniel glanced at his own watch. "I'm thinking in ten, nine, eight..." He raised his eyebrows as the doorbell rang.

"You're losing your touch, Danny. Losing your touch," Jack called over his shoulder as he went to get the door and the food.

* * * *

Jack hid a smile as he watched Daniel eat the last egg-roll. Looked like he wouldn't be having left-over Chinese in his fridge after all. Daniel had shared many stories about his time with Robert over the years during their meal. Jack wondered how many others had underestimated the geeky scientist. He wished he'd taken the time to get to know Rothman better and now it was too late.

Carter said something to Daniel that made his friend laugh softly, pulling Jack's attention back to his friends. He looked at all of them, grateful beyond words for the time he had with them. He was a soldier--he knew how quickly a dear friend could be lost forever. He loved them all, even though he couldn't yet bring himself to say the words aloud. Teal'c--his unwavering loyalty and sense of honor, Carter--her brilliance and dedication to her calling. And Daniel--the conscience on his shoulder, thorn in his side, and twin soul to his own.

He held up his coffee mug and cleared his throat, bringing an effective end to the quiet conversation happening between the others.

"To those gone before," he said, looking at all of them in turn and hoping they understood. Teal'c bowed his head while Carter cast her glance to the table and swallowed hard. It was only Daniel who managed to look him full in the eyes and echo the sentiment.

"To friends lost," Daniel added in a voice that was quiet and filled with strength. "May they ever remain in our hearts."

Jack smiled back across the table. "Amen," he said, meeting the bright blue gaze with his own. Amen-so be it.

  



End file.
